OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine naturalistic usage of infotainment systems to assess use characteristics and patterns.
BACKGROUND: Infotainment systems continue to evolve in terms of their capabilities and information availability, raising concerns about their distraction potential. Assessing potential distraction requires understanding how challenging different tasks are and how frequently they occur during driving.
METHOD: High-end infotainment system use was observed across 17 participants over a period of approximately 4 weeks each. One of two different infotainment systems was provided to participants. Audio, video, and driving performance data were collected and observed by trained reductionists. The two infotainment systems integrated iPod™, satellite radio, CD/DVD/MP3 playback, AM/FM, and, in one case, navigation functionalities. Systems differed in their vehicle integration and advanced infotainment features offered.
RESULTS: The median participant interacted with the infotainment systems once every 4 hr (90th percentile: 6.1 interactions/hr). More than 50% of these interactions involved adjusting the volume. Although there were a few lengthy interactions, the median duration was 2.2 s (90th percentile: 24.6 s), which required measurable visual involvement when compared to a matched baseline. The median total eyes-off-road time across interactions was 1 s (90th percentile: 11.4 s) and differed significantly across type of system interaction. Longer interactions tended to occur when the vehicle was stationary.
CONCLUSION: Drivers habitually interact with infotainment systems while driving; this includes advanced functions. Some self-regulation was observed.
APPLICATION: These data provide a comparison basis for use in examining driver interactions with future infotainment systems.
